Panthera tigris
by Emono
Summary: The investigation was supposed to go on as normal, but with Anthony DiNozzo around - things are bound to get abnormal. The tigers seem to have a taste for Danny's blood. SLASH!


******Title: **Panthera tigris**  
Author**: Emono**  
Rating**: FRM**  
Fandom**: NCIS/CSI: New York**  
Pairings**: Tony DiNozzo/Danny Messer**  
Disclaimer**: This pairing is totally mine, but I just manipulate what should be left alone. No ownership.**|Summary**: The investigation was supposed to go on as normal, but with Anthony DiNozzo around - things are bound to get abnormal. The tigers seem to have a taste for Danny's blood.**  
Beta**: gil_follower**  
Warnings**: Spoilers from "Zoo York" (even though I'm putting my own spin on it.)

**AN: I wrote these two for The Italian Stallions, but decided to give them their own fic.**

* * *

**1. Knock To The Head**

Tony had just been about to do something unspeakably naught to his lover when Mac had called. Some guy had gotten mauled by a tiger at the zoo, and Danny was technically on call that day. With much bitching and groaning, they gout out of bed and got ready. Tony had called Mac back to inform him he was tagging along, the supervisor had agreed.

Later…

Tony lifted the yellow tape for his lover, letting him duck under first before following. He felt only a little out of place with no kit, but he did adorn a pair of latex gloves just so Lindsay would stop shooting him irritable looks.

"What do we got here, Mac?" Danny inquired, setting his kit on the ground and snapping on a pair of gloves himself.

Mac proceeded to explain how a man had gotten mauled by a tiger, he may or may not have been conscious and/or dead. Mac's steel eyes drifted over the scene, pointedly ignoring the bedroom eyes Lindsay was giving him.

"Danny, I want you to check those rocks. Cast them in a UV light if you have to, see if we have a blood trail. This man was tossed in here, let's see from where."

"On it" Danny eased himself into the tiger pit, making his way to the rock formation that led up to the hill.

Tony made to follow, but Mac shoved a camera into his hands, "Oh no you don't, DiNozzo. Jethro called me and gave me permission to put you to work. You're under _my_ command now."

Tony sighed dramatically, "Yes, Boss. Point and shoot?"

"Point and shoot" Mac nodded, looking satisfied.

"Detective Taylor?" one of the zoo keepers came up, a blonde man with some muscle hidden under his shirt "May I ask something?"

Mac raised a brow, "Of course, Mr…?"

"Billman, Carl Billman" they exchanged slight nods "Detective, would it be ok to move the other tigers not involved to the habitat just beside here? It's the only storing area we have for them, and their becoming quite anxious."

Mac thought it over for only a moment, "Of course, Mr. Billman. We've isolated the crime scene, and the pen over there doesn't seem involved. But we'll need the stomach contents of the tiger involved, so keep him around for analysis."

The man nodded eagerly, "Thank you, Detective Taylor."

Danny was about to hook his UV light and goggles to his belt, but caught sight of the blood trail and it seemed intact. The blood trail led up the white rock formation, and he resigned himself to a climb (he sat the items down with his kit.) The surface was too slick for the tigers to climb, it must have led to the upper level. With the friction of his gloves and the soles of his boots combined, he managed to shimmy up it. The higher he got, the farther he got, the more the zoo and the sounds of the other CSI's and his lover faded away. The rocks got near vertical, and they ended abruptly in a wall of dirt. The blood trailed just at the edge, and Danny was lost for a moment.

He managed to stand up, and realized there was a ledge that started just at his neck.

"How the hell…?" Danny glanced between the edge and the ground, it was a sheer drop off of roughly five and a half feet. Blue eyes spotted the blood dewed on the grass that grew around the area that led to the parking lot. He grabbed the ledge, with a huff and a jump, he managed to get his chest up and rolled onto the ledge.

"There, not so hard" he muttered, getting up and brushing himself off. There was a steel-link fence that separated the parking lot from the zoo, the lock was broken.

"Son of a bitch…" Danny took the broken lock off the hook and slipped it into an evidence bag. He pushed open the fence door, skilled eyes following the impressions in the grass to the smeared blood drops in the parking lot. He circled the site like a hawk, then a grin split his face.

"I got it, _yes_" he did a quick victory-fist-pump, then sprinted for the gate. He swung open the door, making sure he secured it as best he could to make it at least _appear_ locked. For a moment he was confused about where he had come up at, but decided it was all the same anyway. He slipped over the high ledge, hid feet stung at the impact of solid white stone.

Danny started to ease himself down the stone backward, thinking about the case. So it had been a body dump, the man had been dragged or carried from the parking lot to the edge of the pit and thrown to roll down in with the tigers. There were still a few missing pieces, but one thing was certain: this wasn't the primary crime scene.

Halfway down the slope, just when the trees faded and the rest of the zoo, Danny realized something horrible. There was no blood trail beside him, not a speck. By the time he had figured out exactly what that meant, his foot hit a too-slick patch of stone.

Danny let out a strangled sound, fingers scrambling at the stone in vain. The tips of his fingers torn raw as they scraped over the surface, his feet hurried to catch a hold as well. In just a moment, he was slipping and falling and going _down_. He was about to call for help, but in that next moment he picked up speed.

He wasn't sure what happened next, but all he knew was that he was falling hard and something struck his head…a rock…everything went blurry, and as light flooded him, it all went black.

**7. Catscratches**

_(Continuation of 'Knock To The Head')_

_(AN: Quick note; 'Mannaz' is an anglo-saxon rune that means 'human being')_

Tony stepped out of the abandoned tiger pit, going through the pictures he had taken. He started wandering farther away, heading down the path without bringing up his eyes. He saw the other tiger pit Carl had been talking about, and instantly a grin split his face.

Honestly, how many times was he about to get into the zoo for free and see some tigers?

None, that's how many.

Tony nearly snickered as he ducked beneath the crime scene tape, sneaking over to the edge of the pit. He watched as the keeper's released the tiger's from behind the inner housing, then backed off. The powerful cats prowled around, all power and grace. They adorned a surly look, tails flicking and jaw hanging open to reveal their pearly teeth.

Tony was just getting lost in their majesty when someone fell into the pit.

Danny's body rolled down the stone, hitting the edge and skidding into the dirt. He gave out a single groan, eyes fluttering open only once before he went limp.

Tony gaped dumbly, "D-Danny? Danny? Mac! Get over here!"

Lindsay and Mac rushed over, ducking under the tape quickly to make it by his side. Mac's jaw dropped as he saw Danny sprawled in the dirt, a trail of blood trickling down the side of his face from a gash. A bag of evidence (the broken lock) lay beside him from where it had fallen out of his pocket, his glasses broken and barely clinging to the white stone.

"What the hell is he doing in there?" Carl seemed in an uproar, managing to be pissed and worried all at the same time.

The tiger's didn't seem to take too kindly to the intrusion. They immediately backed off and growled low in their throats, slowly circling. They gave the blonde a look-over, assessing whether he was a threat to them or not. Mac whispered hurriedly with Carl, trying to figure out the best way to get Danny out.

Tony sucked in a harsh breath when one of the tiger's got curious, one of the alpha males. It was quite large, and had the boldest coloring. He stalked closer to Danny, large gold eyes fixated on the blonde completely. Tony was ready to pull out his side arm, but Carl clamped a hand over his hand and informed him that to shoot one of these Bingel tigers would be twenty years in prison.

The tiger, named Maanaz as Carl informed them, approached Danny from the side away from them. Tony locked eyes with the feral creature, watching it lower it's head and sniff at the dip of the CSI's back. Danny didn't even twitch when a heavy paw came up and settled on his back, bearing down with all it's weight. Tony inched forward, as if to help.

Maanaz glowered right at him, claws extending. Dark jade eyes watched in horror as those sharpened points tore through the soft cloth of his lover's t-shirt and pierced skin. The blood welled up so easily, a horrid reminder that this animal would tear up Danny in just a moment if the fancy hit him.

"No sudden moves" Carl whispered.

Lindsay was starting to freak out, and Mac was a second away from smacking her for the hell of it.

It was a full minute before the tiger retracted it's claws, taking it's paw off the blonde. Mannaz lowered his mighty head, scenting the CSI at the nape of his neck and hair. Danny made a small sound at the tickle, but was out cold otherwise.

Lindsay squealed when Mannaz opened his powerful jaws and clamped down on the blonde's neck. Mac slapped a hand over her mouth, giving her a fierce glare. Tony's fingers tightened on the railing, every muscle pulled tight as he filled with worry for his lover.

The tiger's lips curled around the nape of Danny's neck, teeth settling just void of anything dangerous. Mannaz dragged Danny's body beneath his own, taking him towards the edge of the pit where the other humans were standing around waiting. With a flop, Mannaz settled his long body on the ground and released Danny, letting the CSI lay limp beside him.

Mannaz dipped his head, lapping at the still-seeping gash on his temple. Tony cringed, afraid that once the tiger got a taste of his lover's blood he would sink into him. But the tiger seemed to have no urge to hurt him any more than he had to, settling his paw in the valley between the blonde's shoulder blades to keep him still. The cat's long tail whipped in the air briefly, then curled over the CSI's leg.

"We could tranquilize him…" Tony offered quietly.

"No, the others will attack" Carl scowled "Maybe if we could dose them all at once, but it's a risk."

"Riskier than _this_?" Tony hissed.

The group watched as the other tigers got over their shock and slowly approached, half curious and half hungry at the scent of fresh blood in the air. One of the younger males approached boldly, seeming to swagger at them.

Mannaz lifted his head and snarled, the other backed off immediately. The two other males still looked restless, but the two females rested easy and lounged in the long grass further into the pit. Mannaz let out a last growl, then lowered his head once more and swiped his tongue in short licks from Danny's jaw to his crimson stained temple.

It seemed the tiger was satisfied, like a mother who had placed a Band-Aid on their kid's pricked finger.

Danny woke up slightly, eyes fluttering briefly. He felt something warm and soft against his face, and snuggled into it more. A heavy weight was between his shoulder blades, putting pressure on his lungs and making each breath a little more laborious. It was nothing that would be a problem, but it was annoying none the less. His head ached horribly, and he couldn't find the strength to open his eyes.

"I'm going for it" Tony eased over the edge of the railing, making sure to keep his eyes lowered just below Mannaz's gaze but on Danny. Tony jumped down into the pit, keeping his footing. The other two male tigers seemed pissed about this, and squatted as if about to pounce…but Mannaz let out a roar just as impressive as his size and they backed down again.

Tony's every move was slow and deliberate, he didn't move an inch he didn't have to. He approached Mannaz at a creep, hands down at his sides and eyes flickering between large gold orbs and the ground.

The large, male tiger stood from Danny's form. It circled around him once, nudging him once more with his nose. Mannaz came right towards Tony at a prowl, curling his powerful body around the agent once before stalking back towards the other tigers.

Tony, still keeping his movements slow, knelt and picked up his lithe lover. Danny curled perfectly right into his embrace, mumbling faintly but still out of it.

"Danny, wake up a little for me" Tony whispered to him, blue orbs fluttered open to meet him "I'm going to give you a boost, take Mac's stirred and nodded, a little light returning to his eyes. Tony set the blonde on his feet by the wall, then lifted him at the waist. Mac reached down and took Danny's hand, using every bit of strength he had and pulling him up. The CSI immediately spread out on the sun-warmed pavement, groaning and rubbing at his head as he tried to wake up properly.

With a little help from Mac and some grunting, Tony lifted himself up as well.

"Danny? Danny?" Lindsay was shaking the blonde "Are you ok? Are you in pain?"

"Quit touching him, Montana" Tony pushed her away, giving her that '_you dumbass_' look before kneeling beside his lover "Danny, babe…look at me, come on. Wake up."

"Ant?" Danny's voice was a little slurred, but he managed to sit up wit a little help from his lover. Blue eyes looked around blearily, he rubbed at his throbbing temple absently. "What happened?"

Mac actually chuckled a little, just a little too overwhelmed.

Tony cleared his throat, "Love, you just got adopted by a tiger."

"_What?"_


End file.
